The headlining Hypercar category’s newest marque has made impressive progress of late, and Mathieu Jaminet shifted the goalposts further by topping the times in the opening part of qualifying around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Jaubert backing his countryman up in third.
In the Hyperpole shootout, the roles were then reversed as the younger of the two Frenchmen soared to the summit behind the wheel of the #17 Genesis GMR-001 Hypercar he shares with double world champion André Lotterer and two-time IMSA title-winner, ‘Pipo’ Derani.
“It’s an incredible feeling!” enthused an emotional Jaubert, who is affectionately nicknamed ‘Baby Driver’ in the paddock. “The team did a fantastic job to get both myself and Mathieu inside the top three, and the car was just amazing!”
The Provence native ultimately posted two laps quick enough to secure the top spot on the starting grid for tomorrow’s penultimate round of the 2026 FIA WEC season – in so doing, becoming the youngest outright pole-sitter in the series’ history at the age of only 21.
Fleming flies to second career pole for McLaren
As one of a number of LMGT3 drivers on double duty this weekend, Tom Fleming was a late arrival to the track, but the Garage 59 driver produced a superb display to take pole in the class. In his only previous Hyperpole appearance in his rookie FIA WEC campaign – during the curtain-raising contest at Imola back in April – the rising British star had set the pace. In Spain today, he repeated the feat.
The inaugural 6 Hours of Barcelona presented by Visit Qatar will begin at 12:00 local time (CEST) tomorrow (Sunday, 18 October).
Check out the full Hypercar qualifying and Hyperpole times.
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